Well I’m in mixed views this week as it is quite clear there is a strong team breaking away from the pack and doing really well and in general they seem to be the ladies! So I’m homing in on the boys this week as some need a slight kick up one’s botty!!! Come on boys, keep up…

First Up – PATRICK & ANYA – FOXTROT
I’m still not convinced by Patrick. He started so well looking uber cool at the piano but then when he gets to dance it all seems to come to a hault. It’s as though he panics from one steps to another and this is further proven by him looking at his partner too many times for safety. Patrick has the looks and the potential but he has got to give it a lot more drive across the floor. This is a case of practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. It must become muscle memory then he will feel confident and in control.

DAVE AND KAREN – PASO
Well what can I say, when Bruno said the dance was ‘beyond description’ I completely agreed with him. Yes entertainment plus and what I love is Karen’s commitment to be by his side all the way. I didn’t actually recognize any Paso Doble at all but rather a look of standing at the cook waiting for his cake to be baked…with his tea towel!!! Oh dear not really sure there is much advise I can offer here other than I know the nation will love you!!!

MARK & IVETA – AMERICAN SMOOTH
I was interested to hear Craig’s comments “he was ruining everything with his hands”. It’s a tough one this as I think Iveta’s plan here is to keep Mark neat and compact whilst she is continually filling him with more and more dance knowledge each week. Men using their arms is one of the most difficult things to actually teach but as Mark continues to improve his arms will become an extension of his body and movement. Mark needs to keep learning how to drive across the floor now and as he is getting more confident with heal leads this will aid in his movement.

BEN & KRISTINA – RUMBA
At last the sign of Ben blossoming. It’s small but it’s a start. With Kristina draped all over him and still creating the ‘red herring’ affect drawing our eyes to her rather than to regard what our handsome hero is up to is very clever. That said he has got to start getting his mojo on the move a lot quicker now!!! The judges and public alike are all the same, ever demanding and ever wanting more. He needs to dig in and get using those legs rather than still looking slightly like a mass moving around the floor. Hips need releasing, head needs to start acknowledging the audience and most importantly ‘chest needs exposing’!!!!

JULIAN & JANETTE – JIVE
One thing I feel Julian is going to be constantly struggling with will be timing. I can see in his performance he can either be the showman or a man ‘on time’ but being both is proving a challenge. He has got to learn to count and dance at the same time. Training for this would be to get him to solo dance and count his timings out loud over and over again. He nailed the energy this dance demands but at the cost of its counts. “Multi-tasking!” I hear myself screaming out!!!

ASHLEY & OLA – SAMBA
It’s interesting when it comes to the Samba the professionals like to use the basic, most famous and recognizable steps more so than any other dance. But with this song that was quite slower than the normal tempo Ashley’s technique was sadly exposed as a result. He is going from strength to strength but he is going to have to get his head in the right position now and get greater strength in his ankles!!! Love the direction he is going in though!! Don’t fear the lowering of ankles to gently rest the heels on the dance floor takes decades to perfect… not a couple of weeks.

So after all that have you and your working friends got the Strictly bug and would love to have a go yourself? Well you can. Call Karen Hardy Studios on 0207 731 7316 to find out how you can step onto a dance floor, adorning a spectacular costume and perform in front of friends and family. Our very successful Strictly Come Dancing themed party nights will have you dancing the night away.